Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives of the unions for their opening statements. There is a contrast between both presentations but there is probably a contrast in the views of the committee members in terms of the plan having positives and negatives. We, as public representatives, will first consider how this matter will impact on our communities. In terms of my community, there are more negatives than positives, unfortunately. We must address the public consultation aspect because there is a high level of having to change buses the further out one goes. As many as 50,000 people live in the Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth area, there is a lot of development happening and there is a projected additional 30,000 people planned to relocate there up to 2024. It is not a small area in terms of the consideration that it requires. While I am a member of this committee, I must consider the needs of the people who live in the region in addition to the wider needs of making the transport needs of the greater Dublin area work efficiently and effectively so that we reduce the amount of traffic congestion.

Presumptions have been made about capacity levels. I am aware of other transport providers. I refer to the 6.20 a.m. train from Maynooth to Dublin. One will get a seat as far as Leixlip but one will not get a seat from there on in. The capacity on the way back at peak time in the evening is so bad that we have nearly reached the Japanese scenario of train staff having to wear white gloves and push passengers onto trains while hoping that the train doors will close. Presumptions have been made about capacity in terms of other transport providers. The capacity simply does not exist and it will take several years before it is sufficient to deal with existing demands, let alone future demands.

The loss of permeability within communities is a matter that will definitely arise as part of the public consultation aspect, and it should do so. I wonder about online consultation. That presupposes that people are comfortable going online and filling out forms and questionnaires. The success of the consultation process also depends on the type of questions that are asked. I will give some examples. Would I like to be able to connect with other areas? Of course, I would. Would I like orbital services? Of course, I would like orbital services. When I analyse the detail of the questions, however, I discover that they mean something very different. I have real concerns about some of the synopses that have been conducted, as per the NBRU's opening statement, on the loss of some of the routes and changes to some of the routes. There are positives because other options have been put in that will bring balance.

Today we heard that there would be no privatisation. A person who works for the company called Go-Ahead is not working for Dublin Bus and it is not his or her employer. Let us have an honest engagement when we discuss these matters. We will have to return to this matter in the autumn because it may well be seen as a bit of a Trojan horse as well. If this project happens then it must take place and all of the stakeholders must understand what is involved rather than discover something halfway through the project that is at variance with what we expect.

I know that the people who live in Celbridge and Lucan require bus connections for their children to reach second level schools in Leixlip. Such transport will happen in other areas due to capacity being available but, unfortunately, there is no capacity in the other two areas. When we look for buses for schoolchildren, for example, we are told that a business plan is required. Schoolchildren do not make for a good business plan as there is less money in the business for the public transport provider. We could find ourselves in a situation where categories are not adequately considered in terms of their transport need.

I am concerned about another matter. A person leaving town may well end up in a situation where the buses that are going directly to the farther places are occupied by people who are not going as far and there could be delays on the way back. The biggest problems are with areas on the periphery and with the services in existing communities closer to the city being lost. They are the two areas that I am most concerned about. The idea that the witnesses would be available for part of the public consultation process would be very useful.